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Techradar |
- Catch up: this week's most popular posts
- Hands on: New MacBook Pro 2011 review
- Facebook simplifies its privacy policy
- Facebook simplifies its privacy policy
- Nikon D800 rumours: what you need to know
- Exclusive: Samsung: 3D movie streaming 'this year'
- Which? report damns high-street PC repairs
- Google Cloud Connect now on general release
- UK gets Samsung Galaxy S II price and release date
- Hands on: PictureBox on Samsung TV Smart Hub review
- Canon EOS 6D / 5D Mark III rumours: what you need to know
- Review: LG Optimus 2X
- iPad 2 rumour: ixnay on the SD slot and hi-res display
- Explained: Thunderbolt vs USB 3.0 vs eSATA
- Review: BenQ XL2410
- UK to get YouTube film streaming service?
- In Depth: Top 10 new camera rumours for 2011
- Firefox 4 Beta 5 now available for Android
- Android apps running on BlackBerry phones?
- Android apps running on BlackBerry phones?
- Review: Dell Inspiron 15R (Core i3)
- Review: Compro VideoMate U680F
- Christopher Nolan 'converting Inception to 3D'
- Review: Acer Aspire 5741G
| Catch up: this week's most popular posts Posted: 26 Feb 2011 12:00 AM PST  The big news this week is that Apple has finally confirmed the launch of the iPad 2 - 2 March. And amid that news, rumours around the iPhone 5 and even the iPhone 6 continued to surface. We also learned that the HTC Desire update to Gingerbread is on its way for Three customers. Now we just need the other networks to follow suit. Read on for this week's most popular stories on TechRadar… Top five news stories iPhone 5 won't be smaller but could be cheaper, insider claims Insiders claim that the iPhone 5 will be smaller in price but not in stature than the iPhone 4. Many rumours have suggested that we'll see a slimmed-down, budget version of the Apple handset, a so-called iPhone Nano. But the New York Times cites an anonymous source who says there will be no smaller iPhone from the company. Apple iPad 2 launch confirmed for 2 March Apple has sent out press invites confirming that the new iPad 2 will be revealed on 2 March. Confirming a rumour first circulated by AllThingsDigital yesterday, the press invites see an Apple iOS calendar icon peeling away to reveal the top right hand corner of an iPad. The UK event is set to take place at the BBC Television Centre in London - could this be a clue to some of the new functionality..? Apple planning massive battery life boost for iPhone 6? Apple - you know the company, the one with all the silver and black expensive gadgets - is looking at the age old problem of battery performance in phones. The new technology has been uncovered in a patent by AppleInsider, which looks at increasing the power density in batteries - essentially keeping the same volume while improving the amount of juice inside. This is achieved using a "multi-step constant-current constant-voltage (CC-CV) charging technique", which is science-speak for 'more sparky, same size-y'. Hackers now unbanning themselves on PS3 PS3 hackers have figured out a way of circumventing Sony's PSN bans on those that jailbreak their PlayStation 3 consoles, as the war between the hacking community and Sony rumbles on this week. Sony moved to block PS3 hackers from accessing the PlayStation Network recently, as TechRadar reported late last week. Mere days later and a new jailbreak has reportedly been released that lets hackers unban themselves and continue accessing PSN's online services as before. HTC Desire update to Gingerbread incoming from Three The HTC Desire Android 2.3 update is on its way to Three customers, according to a tweet from the numerical network. Although Three UK couldn't confirm when the update will hit, the network was quite clear about the fact that it is on its way. When asked if they will be releasing Android 2.3 for the original HTC Desire, Three UK replied, "Yes we will but we don't have timescales yet." Top five in-depth articles Top 20 best tablet PC iPad alternatives This year is going to be the year of the touchscreen tablet, of that there can be no doubt. While tablet PCs have been around for yonks, only now are they becoming the desirable, usable and functional devices that we've always wanted them to be – and it's about time too. The iPad is currently the most obvious example of how tablets are going mainstream, but that's not to say that all tablets released from now on are guaranteed to be super awesome. iPhone 5 rumours: what you need to know iPhone 5 (or the iPhone 5G, as some are calling it) rumours are flying thick and fast already. Will there be a rush release to erase memories of the iPhone 4's antenna problems? Maybe not - with the Verizon iPhone 4 Apple showed it wasn't afraid to tweak the current iPhone design. Will the 5th generation iPhone deliver ultra-fast mobile internet? Will it ever end up on Verizon in the US? Let's raid the iPhone 5 rumour fridge to find the tomatoes of truth amid the stinky stilton of baseless speculation. The iPad 2 launch has been confirmed by Apple and is taking place on 2 March. To keep you as informed as possible we've picked through the bones of all the internet rumours and speculation to come up with what we reckon the iPad 2 will be like. First the details of the announcement: TechRadar has been invited to the UK relay of the event, which kicks off at 1800GMT at BBC Television Centre. Why there? It's a satellite relay and the BBC have some pretty big satellite dishes. Best TV 2011: choose the best HD TV for you Which is the best TV? Which is best out of LCD and plasma? Which screen size is best for my living room? What's the difference between LCD and LED TVs? What's the best LCD TV? These are the kind of questions that millions of us have to ask every year. Buying a new TV can be a confusing experience even for the tech-savvy. It doesn't help that technology is moving on at a rapid pace and we're constantly being treated to new tech which comes hand in hand with new jargon. 10 cool things you didn't know your Mac could do The number of cool things you can do with your Mac will probably surprise you. For example, did you know you can use it to catch a burglar, take over somebody else's Mac or even save the world? Yes, it's all true! Here we'll show you some of the cool tips and tricks the MacFormat team have picked up over the years, using Macs day in and day out. Of course, seasoned pros will know most of these tricks, but we expect there could still be a few in there that will surprise even the most gnarly old Mac expert. Top five reviews Despite the score and the savaging we've given it on certain counts, we're actually quite fond of the Hannspree Hannspad. The Dell Streak is a memorable device. It doesn't really have any direct competitors on the market, with the closest in screen size at this point being the HTC Desire HD These earphones are brilliant, and if you can afford them they'll do your music justice in ways most earphones can only aspire to. With BBC iPlayer, Lovefilm and Eurosport, excellent digital file playback, and an all-round easy to use interface, it's worth reminding ourselves that the S470 is, at its heart, a Blu-ray player of some standing. Don't be fooled by the TX-P46VT20B's uninspiring looks. Tucked within the bronzed body are some real cutting edge moves, including, rather handily, 3D pictures that represent the current state of the art. Also reviewed this week… Hands on reviews: Laptops Hands on: Sony Vaio C Series review review Hands on: Sony Vaio S Series review review Mobile phones Hands on: Red Sony Ericsson Xperia Neo review Hands on: White Google Nexus S review Hands on: Samsung Wave 578 review review Tablets Hands on: Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 UK release model review Touchscreen PC Hands on: Sony Vaio L review review Full reviews: Amplifiers Emillé Ara integrated valve amplifier review Cayin SP-30S preamp and SP-40S power amp review Audio systems Blu-ray players Camcorders CD players Monrio Top Loader 2 CD player review Compact cameras Cooling Graphics cards Review Asus Radeon HD 6970 DirectCU II review Hard Drives Samsung SpinPoint EcoGreen F4EG review Western Digital RE4 2TB Enterprise review Hitachi Deskstar 7K2000 review Headphones Hi-fi Accessories Okki Nokki JB1 Record cleaning machine review QED Reference Audio Evolution review iPhone apps Laptops Media streaming devices Motherboards Printers Software Cyberlink Media Suite 9 review Nine Fives Software Pinboard review Hit 'n' Mix Software Hit 'n' Mix review Speakers Audiovector Ki3 Signature loudspeaker review Tablets TV tuner cards Pinnacle PCTV nanoStick T2 290e review 
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| Hands on: New MacBook Pro 2011 review Posted: 25 Feb 2011 02:55 PM PST  The new MacBook Pro 2011 notebooks are out and as usual there are a lot of people out there getting all sweaty and excited, us included. Sporting Intel's flashy new Thunderbolt I/O tech and Sandy Bridge Core i5 and Core i7 CPUs, they represent the first in a new generation of inter-compatible super-speedy devices. We trundled over to Apple HQ in London to pick up our review units this afternoon - the Apple PR machine likes to do things differently to other firms, and prefers journalists to go and pick up samples rather than sending them out by courier. While we're there we are typically treated to a well-rehearsed presentation and seminar to make sure everyone is clued up on all the new features and therefore not liable to spout out a load of nonsense once it comes to review time. The full fat TechRadar review is incoming next week once we've had time to test the review samples properly, but until then here is what we know so far. Specs Arguably hottest of the new Macbooks is the new top-end 15-inch model which clocks in at a thunderous £1,849, 300 quid more pricey than the cheapest 15-incher which has a little less performance in all directions (though cheaper than the 17-inch versions). It's powered by a quad-core flavoured Sandy Bridge Core i7 CPU clocked at 2.2GHz. Graphical grunt is provided both by Intel's new Integrated HD Graphics 3000 chip alongside the more powerful AMD Radeon HD 6750M with 1GB GDDR5 memory. Also along for the ride is 4GB of DDR3 RAM, 750GB of storage and a 15.4-inch LED-backlit glossy display running at 1440x900. And of course, there's that new Thunderbolt I/O port for all-things interconnected. We say all things, we mean some things. And actually, for the time being make that no things, because there aren't any Thunderbolt devices out there yet. Luckily, the port is backwards compatible with Mini DisplayPort so there are no compatibility niggles. More on that in a second. Performance on the go This is possibly the biggest step up in MacBook performance in some time, with CPU power doubled since last year. Graphics power in the shape of AMD's Radeon HD chips is trebled. The model we're playing with first is the sexy-as-anything new MacBook Pro 13-inch. It's packing Intel's dual-core Sandy Bridge Core i7 2.7GHz CPU, 4GB DDR3 memory, 500GB storage, 13.3-inch LED screen at 1280x800 with Intel HD Graphics 3000 running at 1.3GHz. There's no quad-core CPU or dual-GPU goodness going on in this model though, which means no AMD-powered graphics, boo!
The lack of AMD graphics is a bummer, but rest assured there's still plenty of power inside here – the Sandy Bridge Core i7 2620M is the world's fastest dual-core CPU, with hyper-threading adding an additional two virtual semi-cores, give or take the presence of software optimisation. Using TurboBoost you should be able to squeeze the clock speed of this chip up to around 3.4GHz, too. All 15-inch and 17-inch models come with the power of quad-core. Facetime on MacBook Pro All the new Macbook Pros come with front-facing camera for Facetime video chats, and you'll be pleased to know that after you've shelled out £1,299 for this 13-inch model you won't have to spend another 59p on the Facetime app – it comes free. And you thought Apple wasn't generous. The camera shoots at a resolution of 1280x720 which means you can have face-to-face video chats in 720p HD. They're pretty pretty If you splashed out on one of last year's MacBook Pro models, a mere glance at the new ones should not really be enough provoke any kind of nauseous envy.
They're pretty much exactly the same size and shape as last year's models. The one-piece aluminium unibody is still present – the only real difference is the presence of the Thunderbolt port itself. Thunderbolt uses a mini-DisplayPort connector so only the little Thunderbolt icon next to the port indicates its true potential. Alas, you don't get a Thunderbolt cable in the box but as there are currently no compatible accessories out there that shouldn't bother you too much for the time being.
At Apple's HQ briefing we were treated to a demo of Thunderbolt in action and its performance is exciting. It's up to 20x faster than the USB 2.0 ports you're probably using as you read this – if you want to put a number on it, try 800MB per second data transfer. We watched as Apple's Holly Shelton copied a 5GB file from a RAID 0 server – it took just 10 seconds. The idea of Thunderbolt is that the cables can contain both copper and optical wiring, as well as just one or the other. The MacBook Pros only have one Thunderbolt input, but the idea is that you can daisychain devices together. The 5GB file transfer actually occurred with the RAID 0 server daisychained into the MacBook Pro via an Apple Cinema Display. Of course, this means that compatible peripherals are all going to need two Thunderbolt connectors – one for input and one for output. We saw a prototype of a LaCie portable hard drive which simply had two Thunderbolt ports and nothing else.
Apple isn't going all-out on the new tech though, the new notebooks still have two USB 2.0 ports, a Firewire 800 port, an SDXC port for super-capacity SD cards and a DVD/RW drive. We haven't been able to test battery life as yet, but Apple says it's new and improved real-world testing process yields a 7-hour lifespan per charge, which sounds about right to us. We'll test that ourselves in due course. Tune in again next week for TechRadar's fully-charged MacBook Pro 2011 review. 
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| Facebook simplifies its privacy policy Posted: 25 Feb 2011 08:31 AM PST  Facebook has announced that it has simplified its current 5,830-word privacy policy to make it clearer and easier for users to understand. While non of the terms of the privacy policy have changed, a new format is being trialled to see if it helps users of the site understand how their data is being used. Facebook has been often criticised for making its privacy policy far too convoluted, meaning that you would have to be a brave person to read the thousands of words on the site regarding privacy. Privacy principles Facebook has come up with three basic principles about the policy.
If you want to take a look at the new-look, less wordy and not-as-scary privacy policy, then you can do so by going to www.facebook.com/about/privacy. 
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| Facebook simplifies its privacy policy Posted: 25 Feb 2011 08:31 AM PST Facebook has announced that it has simplified its current 5,830-word privacy policy to make it clearer and easier for users to understand. While non of the terms of the privacy policy have changed, a new format is being trialled to see if it helps users of the site understand how their data is being used. Facebook has been often criticised for making its privacy policy far too convoluted, meaning that you would have to be a brave person to read the thousands of words on the site regarding privacy. Privacy principles Facebook has come up with three basic principles about the policy.
If you want to take a look at the new-look, less wordy and not-as-scary privacy policy, then you can do so by going to www.facebook.com/about/privacy. 
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| Nikon D800 rumours: what you need to know Posted: 25 Feb 2011 07:30 AM PST  Speculation about an imminent Nikon D800 release is reaching a fever pitch. We have already had several strong hints at a February or March Nikon D800 release date, and a quick history lesson by Nikon Rumors shows February indeed is Nikon's favoured month for big announcements. So while we wait for a Nikon announcement of a Nikon D700 replacement, we thought in the meantime we'd put together a wishlist of features we not only would like to see, but expect will be included among the Nikon D800 specs. Nikon D800 release date and price Amazon has revealed a delay in the publication of two Nikon D800 user manuals, possibly suggesting a delay to the Nikon D800 release date. The online bookseller has revealed on its UK site that Obtenez le maximum du Nikon D800, by Jean-Baptiste Guges, will not be released until 4 May 2011. Originally, Guges' manual was due for release on 9 February. Likewise, an alternate manual, also called Obtenez le maximum du Nikon D800, but penned by an author named Bernard Rome has had its release date delayed on Amazon's French website. Rome's Nikon D800 manual was originally set for release on 9 March 2011, but has now been pushed back to 7 September. Of the two authors, only Rome has any prior publications, having penned several user manuals for past Nikon cameras – including a manual for the Nikon D700. Both Nikon D800 manuals are listed as being 320 pages. It should also be noted that both manuals appear to have the same ISBN, yet they have different authors and release dates. The Nikon D800 has long been rumoured to be the Nikon D700 replacement, and as we reported previously when Amazon first hinted at a Nikon D800 release date, the French online bookseller Librairie Decitre suggested in its listing for Guges's Nikon D800 manual that the Nikon D800 will double the sensor of the D700, increasing from 12 to 24 megapixels. The company also suggested that the Nikon D800 price will fall between 2,000 and 2,500 euros. UPDATE - FEBRUARY 2011: There are now reports that some Nikon offices have barred staff from booking holidays in the last two weeks of August 2011. If indeed this is a harbinger of a Nikon D800 release date, it would coincide nicely with CliQ (formery known as PMA), which is scheduled for the first week in September. Nikon D800 manual A 320-page guide entitled 'Obtenez le maximum du Nikon D800' (or 'Get the most out of your Nikon D800'), by Bernard Rome, is set for release on 9 March 2011, according to a new listing posted on the Amazon France website. Rome has written previous manuals on the Nikon D700, Nikon D5000 and Nikon D3000. Amazon is listing the Nikon D800 guide at 27.07 euros. The manual will be written in French and its ISBN is 978-2100541027. A second Nikon D800 manual by the same title and ISBN has been posted on the Amazon UK site with a release date of 9 February 2011. The Amazon UK page, however, lists Jean-Baptiste Guges as the author. The Nikon D800 has long been rumoured to be the Nikon D700 replacement. The French online bookseller Librairie Decitre gives more details in its listing for the Guges manual, claming that the Nikon D800 will double the sensor of the D700 and increase from 12 to 24 megapixels on the D800. "The D800 is likely to be sold between 2,000 and 2,500 euros,' it says. Nikon D800 rumours Given that the online bookseller Amazon is already listing a guide book for the Nikon D800 and the guide can be ordered as of February and March (according to which Amazon site you visit), it seems inevitable that we will not only see a Nikon D800 release date in 2011, but perhaps quite early in the year. Of course given Nikon's recent naming structure changes there's no guarantee that whatever replaces the D700 will be called the D800. Perhaps Nikon will start using its D-double-digit name for it's lower-end professional or sem-pro level kit. Maybe we could even see a reprise of the D80 name? A replacement to the popular 12MP Nikon D700 is certainly overdue. Although the full-frame Nikon D700 remains the camera of choice for Nikon's legion of prosumer photographers, since its launch in 2008 it has been progressively overshadowed by its competitors. Cameras like the Canon EOS 5D Mark II and Sony's Alpha A850 offer higher resolution sensors and (in the case of the Canon 5D II) significantly more advanced feature sets. Expect Nikon to respond to the threat of the as-yet-unreleased Canon 5D II successor, which means higher resolution, enhanced live view and – of course – the addition of a versatile movie mode. Our money is on the Nikon D800 having a 24MP sensor, adapted from the CMOS sensor of the professional Nikon D3X, and 1080p video. 2011 Nikon D800 release date probability: 75% – either just before or soon after Canon releases its 5D II successor. Nikon D800 likely spec and features: - 24-megapixel sensor UPDATE: 31 JANUARY: the Nikon Rumors website reports that a number of camera retailers around the world are claiming that the NikonD700 has been discontinued. A store in Belgium has sent an email to customers saying the D700 has been discontinued, while a US retailer reports it is out of stock in the D700 and has no plans to order new units. Nikon D800 review Once the Nikon D800 release date is announced, we will be first to bring you an in-depth Nikon D800 review that tests in full all of the D800 specs and features. So bookmark this page and watch this space, because we have a feeling that a Nikon D800 review will be appearing here very soon! PhotoRadar's head of testing, Angela Nicholson, tells us that she hopes to see a replacement to the Nikon D700 quite soon, and when the Nikon announcement comes, we could see the 10 Nikon D800 features listed in the photo gallery above. "And if I can I have 11 features on the Nikon D800," Angela adds, "it's about time we had built-in wireless flash control using radio waves!" Nikon D800 - what we want 1. Higher resolution sensor, at least 24 million pixels2. New faster processing engine for at least 8fps continuous shooting3. 100% viewfinder AND sensor cleaning Nikon cracked this with the D3S, so it's time it came down the lines a little.
4. An articulated LCD Canon has brought this into the main arena with the EOS 60D and it makes shooting from unusual angles much easier. 5. Improved full-time AF in Live View and Video mode for faster smoother AF This would complement the articulated screen perfectly. 6. Enhanced metering The D7000 has Nikon's most advanced metering system with a 2,016 pixel RGB sensor, this could be incorporated into the D800, but I'd like to see the over exposure of mid tones that troubles the D7000 dealt with at the same time.
7. Full HD (1080p) video "This is a no-brainer that will make the Nikon D800 more attractive to professional photographic journalists who are now often called upon to shoot moving pictures as well as stills," Angela says. 8. The ability to record the angle at which the camera was held at the point of capture This would allow the horizon to be accurately levelled post-capture. 9. ISO 102,400? Nikon has been winning the high sensitivity setting battle so far. "Could the company push the Nikon D800's sensitivity beyond ISO 102,400?" Angela asks. 10. In-camera image rating, such as on the EOS 60D This makes chimping (reviewing images in-camera) really worthwhile and speeds up finding the best images once they are downloaded to the computer. 
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| Exclusive: Samsung: 3D movie streaming 'this year' Posted: 25 Feb 2011 07:24 AM PST  Samsung has revealed that 3D movies are set to come to its internet connected TVs in the UK this year, and PictureBox is looking to be the first service to offer 3D movie content through its on-demand app. Samsung is no stranger to on-demand 3D movies. It recently partnered with Virgin Media to showcase the cable company's 3D offering but it has yet to pipe 3D films through its own app platform. This is set to change this year, with Darren Petersen, Content Services Manager - Smart TV at Samsung, hinting to TechRadar that we will see something in 2011. "We are hoping that 3D movies will be available [through Smart Hub] later this year," said Petersen to TechRadar. "The technology is there we are just waiting on our partners to come up with something." 3D streaming There is already 3D content on the Smart Hub in the US, with a number of apps offering 3D functionality – but there's no movies as of yet. PictureBox, a newcomer to Samsung's Smart Hub, is hoping that it will be the first of the partnered movie apps to stream a 3D movie, with a spokesperson explaining: "We are looking to stream our first 3D movie in Q3, but there's still a lot to do technology-wise. "We have to optimise the content for a number of different devices and this takes time." 
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| Which? report damns high-street PC repairs Posted: 25 Feb 2011 07:23 AM PST  A report by consumer watchdog magazine Which? has discovered that high street stores are misdiagnosing simple problems when people take in their computers to be fixed. The Which? report saw reporters go undercover with desktops and laptops that had simple problems and discovered that the issues were not always spotted by the big name stores that they visited. In fact only two stores in 12 managed to correctly fix a problem where a laptop hard disk's booting information was modified with a value changed in the partition table, preventing it from starting up. It's a problem that would be fixed simply by running the repair option on the Windows installation disc, but only one Carphone Warehouse store and one Best Buy store got to the bottom of things. Expectation "You'd expect trusted household names to have the know-how to cure most poorly PCs, so we were disappointed by the service we received on many visits," said Which? technology expert Ceri Stanaway. "The near universal failure to repair our laptops means we can't fully recommend any high street brand's repair service." That's a damning conclusion when the majority of consumers take on trust that the experts on the high street – often charging a pretty penny – can correctly diagnose and fix the problems. 
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| Google Cloud Connect now on general release Posted: 25 Feb 2011 07:19 AM PST  Google's Cloud Connect plug-in is now on general release, having been on a limited beta since late last year. The free plug-in allows Windows users with Microsoft Office 2003, 2007 or 2010 to synchronise Office documents with a Google account, keeping both the cloud and local files the same. Once uploaded, Word, Excel and Powerpoint files can all be edited online using Google Docs; as Google Apps puts it, "Google Cloud Connect teaches your old docs new tricks". Google Office When working locally, the Google Docs link to your document appears in a Google Cloud Connect toolbar on the Office document so syncing the two as you go is a breeze. Microsoft itself is hoping to take on the administrative cloud with Office 365, itself currently in beta. Microsoft's software, however, comes at a premium price. Google probably hopes to take Microsoft down a peg or two with its easy to use, free version of what is essentially the same product. No doubt many businesses will feel more secure opting for Microsoft's paid-for version though, particularly as Google makes no reference to document security when using Cloud Connect. 
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| UK gets Samsung Galaxy S II price and release date Posted: 25 Feb 2011 06:50 AM PST  Online UK retailer Clove has revealed its Samsung Galaxy S II price and release date for the UK. It will be selling both the 16GB and 32GB variants, on sale in mid-to-late March. That's just next month, you guys! The Samsung Galaxy S II 16GB UK pricing is currently set at £612 (£510 plus VAT), whereas the larger capacity handset comes in at £708 (£590 plus VAT). Not completely official The retailer is quick to point out that the prices it has listed are subject to change, but they are correct at time of publication and you can get your pre-orders in now. The dual-core handset has a 4.3-inch Super AMOLED screen with Bluetooth 3.0, 3G and WiFi on board. The Samsung Galaxy S II is also set to make its way to Three and Vodafone, although neither network has announced any UK prices or release date.We'd expect both variants to land on contract deals between £30 and £45 though, if Clove's pricing is anything to go by. 
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| Hands on: PictureBox on Samsung TV Smart Hub review Posted: 25 Feb 2011 06:29 AM PST  Samsung added to its on-demand movie portfolio this week, with the arrival of PictureBox on its Smart Hub connected TV service. There are already a number of movie services available through the Smart Hub, with LoveFilm, Acetrax and to some extent iPlayer offering up myriad movie streaming options. But PictureBox is hoping to add something different, offering unlimited viewing of content for £4.99 a month – or, as it sells itself, "less than the price of one cinema ticket". Although it is new to Samsung tellies, PictureBox has a firm footing in on-demand. The service has been around for five years, through the likes of Top Up TV, Virgin and BT Vision, and alongside this there is now an iPad app and access to the service through a PC.
One PictureBox account allows for up to five devices to be registered at one time. What surprised about PictureBox was just how good the quality of the streaming was through the Smart Hub. Although it isn't quite HD, colours were vivid and there was no lag in the sound. It took around 10 seconds for the movie to begin, but once it was up and running there was no sign of buffering.
PictureBox is owned by Universal, so the majority of movies on the service are Universal titles. While this isn't a great thing for choice, it is for quality – as they can get the movie codecs straight from source. When it does come to choice, there are just 28 movies to choose from a month. This isn't because PictureBox has a lack of content, this is deliberate to not overwhelm consumers.
After four weeks, the 28 movies on offer are refreshed and a new line-up is revealed. In the online world, content is king so it will be interesting to see if this approach works for those watching the movies through the Smart Hub. Again, to try and not confuse consumers, the UI of PictureBox is reassuringly simple. All you have are categories at the top of the screen, including New, Most Viewed, Highlights and Last Chance. Interestingly, PictureBox aren't using any recommendation engines as of yet, but with just 28 titles on offer it is probably a feature that's redundant. Like pretty much all on-demand services, the movies on offer are a strange mix of popular older movies and 'pretty recent but been out on Blu-ray for a while' films.
With this in mind, whether or not PictureBox is worth its £4.99 price tag all depends on what context you look at the service. As there are 28 movies on show, you are paying just 18p to view each one – which is a bargain. But it's unlikely that you will want to watch everything that is on offer, which could leave you some months wondering why you paid for the service at all. Considering it is available on so many platforms, however, PictureBox could well be the on-demand movie service you have been looking for. The PictureBox app is out now and available on all Samsung internet@TV and Smart Hub connected TVs. 
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| Canon EOS 6D / 5D Mark III rumours: what you need to know Posted: 25 Feb 2011 05:09 AM PST In our continuing look at some the new digital cameras hotly tipped for release in 2011, we cast our attention to the Canon EOS 6D - or will it be the Canon EOS 5D Mark III that is the Canon 5D Mark IIreplacement. It's hard to believe the Canon EOS5D Mark II is more than two years old, but already it's in need of a refresh. Canon 6D / 5D Mark III specs and price Canon's APS-C format EOS 7D puts some aspects of the full-frame EOS 5D Mark II's specification in the shade, so it is likely that when we finally see a Canon announcement for an EOS 5D Mk II replacement, the successor will have a feature set that at least matches, if not tops, the semi-pro level EOS 7D. UPDATE - February 2011: Northlight Images says it has been told that the new Canon EOS 5D Mk III camera will feature a new raw vdo format. It also believes we will see a Q2/Q3 Canon 5D Mark III release date. Canon 6D / 5D Mark III release date We're now in the season when manufacturers start readying their big announcements and putting fact behind release date rumours - such as a Canon 5D Mark III/ EOS 6D release date. As more details emerge, we will be first with any news on a Canon 6D or Canon 5D Mark III release date. Bookmark this page! Canon 6D / 5D Mark III rumours Could a Canon EOS 5D Mark III release date be just around the corner? We think so. Launched in 2008, the Canon 5D Mark II is due for a refresh. Essentially just the innards of a Canon 5D inside a slightly spruced-up body shell, plus a 21-million-pixel sensor and a very cool (for 2008) video shooting function, the 5D MKII always looked like something of a compromise. At this point in time, the 5D MK II lacks both the speed and enhanced functionality of the newer APS-C format EOS 7D (read our Canon 7D review), and the rugged construction and almost infinite customisation of Canon's professional EOS 1D series. Expect an updated body shell, greatly improved AF (probably borrowed from the Canon 7D) and a tweaked video shooting capability. We'd also stick our necks out and suggest that whatever replaces the Canon EOS 5D MK2 will have the Canon 60D's (read our Canon 60D review) articulated LCD screen - but possibly with the addition of touch-sensitivity. If this turns out to be true, it would be the first full-frame camera to feature this technology. 2011 Canon EOS 6D / Canon EOS 5D Mark III release date probability: 75% - in fact, we expect a Canon EOS 5D Mark III release by early 2011. Canon 6D / 5D Mark III review Once the Canon 5D Mark III / Canon 6D release date is announced, We will be first to bring you an in-depth Canon 5D Mark III / Canon 6D review that tests in full all of the 5D Mark III /6D specs and features. So bookmark this page and watch this space, because we have a feeling that a Canon 6D / EOS 5D Mark III review will be appearing here very soon! Canon 6D / 5D 10 features we'd like to see 1. 24MP sensor Canon doesn't have a camera with a 24 million pixel sensor yet, perhaps the EOS 6D see the company step over the current 21 million pixel threshold.
2. Updated processing engine DIGIC 4 has been around for a while now, Canon may introduce a updated processing engine that allows faster continuous shooting rates. It is likely to be able to match the 8fps shooting rate of the EOS 7D, but with full-frame images. 3. Higher ISOs Canon pushed the maximum expansion setting of the EOS-1D Mark IV to ISO 102,400. This is a little too high for the APS-H format camera, but it could prove more useful on a full-frame camera that should be able to generate cleaner images. 4. More AF points The EOS 5D MK II has 9 individually selectable AF point and 6 assist AF points. Canon may increase this to the 19 AF point of the 7D for the 6D, but could it go even further towards the 45 AF points (with 39 cross-type) of the 1D MK IV? 5. Changes to continuous AF The cameras above and below the EOS 5D Mark II both allow the user to control the speed with which the AF responds to a change in subject distance when using continuous AF, but the 5D MK II doesn't; this is certain to change with a Canon 6D release. 6. Articulated LCD screen The cameras above and below the EOS 5D Mark II both allow the user to control the speed with which the AF responds to a change in subject distance when using continuous AF, but the 5D MK II doesn't; this is certain to change with a Canon 6D release.
7. Built-in level A built-in level is de rigueur these days to ensure level horizons; perhaps Canon will put one in the EOS 6D so that the angle an image is taken at is recorded in the EXIF data. This allows users to make automatic post-capture corrections. 8. In-camera image rating In-camera image rating was introduced with the EOS 60D, it seems a dead cert for the EOS 6D as it makes chimping (reviewing images) really useful and helps users find their best images quickly after download. 9. Wireless flash control Canon resisted enabling wireless flash control in its DSLRs but finally gave in to peer pressure with the EOS 7D. The EOS 5D MK II doesn't have a pop-up flash, but Canon could build a transmitter similar to its ST-E2 Speedlite Transmitter in the EOS 6D. 10. Live View and HD video Live view and video technology are now essential to a modern DSLR, the EOS 6D is sure to have dedicated controls to activate these features. 
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| Posted: 25 Feb 2011 04:35 AM PST  This review is of an LG Optimus 2X unit supplied with pre-release software. In accordance with TechRadar's Reviews Guarantee, we have not included a final score for this review. This is our in-depth experience with the version of the phone supplied to us, tested as thoroughly as usual. We knew it as the LG Star originally, and we waited impatiently for a chance to really put it through its paces. Now, the world's first Tegra 2 smartphone, the LG Optimus 2X, has arrived for our delectation, sporting Android 2.2. Mobile World Congress has brought us news of more dual-core smartphones to come, including the Samsung Galaxy S2, but it's not the same as having one in your pocket.
So what's a dual-core processor good for? Why video, of course! That'll be why LG has outfitted the Optimus 2X with 1080p video recording on the eight-megapixel camera, 1080p playback over a mini-HDMI port (cable included) and DLNA media streaming.
Of course, we're also looking for it to make Android sing, showing what Google's OS is capable of on the Optimus 2X's four-inch WVGA touchscreen. There's also a 1.3MP front-facing camera, Wi-Fi and 3G connectivity, microSD card slot to compliment the 8GB of built-in memory. The LG Optimus 2X should be on sale for around £500 SIM-free. Design and handlingFrom the front, the LG Optimus 2X is a big black pane of glass, which will surprise absolutely no one who's seen a smartphone in the last few years.
It brings to mind HTC phones such as the Desire HD and HTC HD 7 with its all-black visage and four touch-sensitive Android buttons for Menu, Home, Back and Search at the bottom.
Unusually, the glass rounds off slightly at the left and right edges of the front fascia. It's a hard edge at the top and the bottom, but the softer edges at the sides to help the phone to feel comfortable when you're reaching across the four-inch screen with your thumb. That screen is is the now-standard WVGA 480 x 800 that we expect to see on Android devices on this size. While inevitably not quite as sharp as the iPhone 4's Retina display, we'd go out on a limb and say it'll do for most people.
The screen is bright, and colours stand out nicely when viewed straight on. It loses its vibrancy quite quickly when you stray from that viewing angle, and gains a noticable colour cast. We were hoping for better from a high-end phone, to honest. The screen generally isn't a match for the Super AMOLED used in the Samsung Galaxy S, and certainly not the even more advanced panel in the Galaxy S2, but it's fine when viewed correctly. Above the screen is a small earspeaker, an LG logo and the front-facing camera.
Moving away from the glass screen of the Optimus 2X, a kind of gunmetal grey is the outfit of choice. The right side of the phone features two buttons for volume control, while the bottom has speaker grilles and the micro-USB port.
On the Optimus 2X's top edge the 3.5mm headphone jack, the Sleep/Wake button (pulling double duty to turn the phone on and off) and a covered mini-HDMI port to connect to your HDTV.
It seems a little odd that this port is covered while the almost identically sized USB port is open, but maybe it's so LG can write 'HDMI' on the cover to gloat. The back of the phone features a long shiny strip etched with Google's logo that leads up to the LED flash and eight-megapixel camera's lens. The metal strip was quite scratched up on our review unit when we received it, indicating that you can probably expect the same from your Optimus 2X.
The backplate pops off if you slip a nail under a notch down by the USB port. It's plastic, and so just pops off with a bit of a bend. It feels high quality and solid when it's on the phone, but is quite thin and flexible once removed.
Underneath is a capacious 1500mAh battery along with slots for the SIM card and microSD card. InterfaceThis being Android (and Android 2.2 Froyo at that), Home screens are the order of the day. There are seven provided in the LG Optimus 2X, and it's pretty clear that the LG team are fans of HTC, with several clear nods to the fan-favourite Sense UI used on phones such as the HTC Desire HD and HTC Desire Z. There's a clock and weather widgets on the first Home screen, which even has a flip clock like HTC's overlay.
LG's actually provided a whole range of widgets in their own menu when you go the 'Add' option in the Home screen menu. There's a range of other clocks and alarm clocks, including analogue and digital, bookmarks, calendar, FM radio control, social feeds and more.
The social feeds app is a large widget with a tab for Facebook and a tab for Twitter, both of which tie into the LG-specific apps for these two social networks that come pre-loaded on the phone. HTC's Leap View, which graced phones such as the HTC Desire when introduced is replicated here. Pinch in on a Home screen to bring up all seven in miniature, at which point you can choose one to zoom in on.
Navigating around the Home screen is quick enough, thanks to that Tegra 2 dual-core processing ticking over inside. Pinching and zooming out on all the home screens tends to drop a few frames, but we suspect that's due to lack of optimisation rather than the processor struggling. Hit the Applications icon and you'll be taken through to the full System Applications list. There's a lot of stuff in here right from the off, thanks to whole bunch of pre-loaded apps, including Facebook for LG and Twitter for LG.
These two apps really show off the speed off the phone – there's absolutely no waiting around in them. Tap something and a new screen slides in immediately, not missing a step. Very smooth. The apps menu on the whole really demonstrates that touchscreen interaction isn't the strongest part of the LG Optimus 2X. It's just not quite as responsive as a lot of phones out there. We're not talking about it being like using a resistive screen or anything, but it is noticeable when compared to impeccable touch credentials of the iPhone 4 or HTC Desire. This also comes across if you swipe left or right accidentally in the apps menu. There's nothing to swipe to, but instead of ignoring your input the Optimus 2X will just open the app you started your swipe on. It's the kind of thing we expect modern smartphone to be able to sensibly ignore. The interface is unsurprisingly slick on the whole, considering the power behind it. The things is, we weren't really blown away by it, because it's not really any faster in the animations and transitions and a top-of-the-range Snapdragon or Hummingbird phone, because Android was already running optimised on those. LG has used some fancy 3D interfaces in the past, and were expecting something like that in the backs of our minds, just to show off. But LG's made the right decision. Android's popular for a reason, and LG hasn't tinkered with that formula too much. We did have a few crashes in our time with the Optimus 2X that didn't seem to be related to anything in particular. Once the browser crashed and wouldn't reopen, another time the Messaging app gave up the ghost on us. These were sorted with a restart of the phone, and this is very likely a result of the pre-release software our unit had, so we won't criticise too harshly unless the final version is crashing as often as this one did. Contacts and callingAs is usual with Android, you can expect to pull through your Google account contacts into the LG Optimus 2X if you've got them set up. LG has also included two social networking apps covering Twitter and Facebook that can pull through your contacts from each of the two networks (though other apps, including the official Twitter app, can also import contacts). The contact import options for these two apps are intelligent, enabling you to import everyone automatically, import manually or (our favourite) only import information from contacts you already have a contact entry for. The thing is, while you would think that this last option would guarantee you no duplicate entries, we still ended up with one. If it was confident enough to bring the details down from Facebook, why wasn't it confident enough to match them? Merging contacts is performed by going into one of the duplicate entries and choosing to edit the contact. Facebook and Twitter entries will say you can't edit the information, but the 'Join' option is still available if you press the Menu button. The actual contact list isn't too unusual for modern socially-minded smartphones. You can see all of the contacts in a big list with the alphabet at the side. Beneath each person's name will be an update from Twitter or Facebook if linked in.
At the top of this list is a search box and a button to add a new contact. Overlaid at the top of the screen are tabs to enable quick switching from your contacts list to the dialler, your call log and any contact groups your have, including your favourites. When you tap on a contact, you're given a list of all the information you have for them, as well as contextual options for each entry if it can have more than one use (such as choosing between calling or texting a mobile phone number). All the information is big and clear on the Optimus 2X's four-inch screen. There are also tabs at the top for looking at other information related to the contact, including their Facebook photos, if their account is linked.
You can also access many options for a contact just by long-pressing on their name in the main contact list.
The Optimus 2X is quite strong at picking up signal, which translates into strong 3G broadband speeds. We had no problems placing calls, even in known difficult spots.
However, this didn't translate into a great calling experience. The ear speaker sits flush to the join between the glass screen and the surround. You can't really feel it when you're holding the phone to your head, which means it can stray off slightly and you'll lose the sound quickly. The speaker also doesn't carry very well. It's drowned out by traffic noise far easier than a lot of other phones. The sound quality on calls was acceptable, but this isn't the phone's strongest point, despite the decent signal. MessagingThe LG Optimus 2X comes loaded with lots of messaging goodies. Aside from the expected SMS and email options, there are the pre-loaded Twitter for LG and Facebook for LG apps for social networkers. There's also a MySpace for LG app, in case you're planning to send the phone back in time five years. Text messages are read in the Messaging app (there's also a Messaging widget, for quickly seeing your most recently received text). In the main inbox, you can see your conversations arranged by recipient. Choose one of these and you'll see a threaded message view, with nice clear text in colour coded bubbles. It's easily readable, but on the whole is nothing unusual. Android users, iPhone users, Windows Phone 7 users and HP webOS users will all find it comfortingly familiar.
To reply to a text, just press in the 'Type to compose' box at the bottom of the screen (or hit the 'New Message' button if you're on the Messaging app's first screen). The software keyboard will pop up, along with a Send button and button to attach multimedia for MMS, and you can see the last message in your conversation above it.
Well, that's all true if you're in portrait. In landscape, you get that generic Android text entry box you get in just about every app, with no button to attach things, no view of your messages, and no context in general.
Typing in landscape is generally preferable, so you'll have to switch back and forth if you do want to send a picture or anything. It's irritating – especially considering the 'World' key on the keyboard isn't used by anyone, and could easily be swapped for the attach key. The same goes for the emoticon menu key. Do we really need help with this in exchange for losing other, more useful buttons? It's only an annoyance, though, and certainly not an insurmountable problem. Writing on the keyboard is generally fine, but the screen's slight lack of responsiveness crops up again. It seems to be more pronounced near the edges, and results in your often having to tap the key to get you to the symbols list more than once. There are two email apps on the Optimus 2X – the Gmail app and the Email app. Once you've got Android tied into your Google account, the Gmail app will automatically start bringing in your emails. It's easy to set yourself on the Email app, too. You choose between Microsoft Exchange or Other, and just put in the necessary details. The two apps work slightly differently. The Gmail app fits more onto one screen and features threaded viewing of messages.
However, it doesn't feature the ability to sort your emails by anything other than date in an easy way, which is offered by the Email app (are you keeping up?). The Email app also has dividing lines between days, so you can easily see where you are in your email timeline of sorts. The Email app can also offer a combined inbox for several different accounts from different sources or individual inboxes.
Both these apps have their good points, but we came to prefer the Email app. The Gmail interface looks slightly more cluttered to us, with options not as clearly laid out. The apps are very similar in terms of writing emails. The Gmail app offers a slightly neater interface for writing, but the options again aren't as clearly laid out as the Email app. In the case of both, switching to landscape will bring up the generic writing view again, just as it did in the Messaging app.
Clicking on links in emails will bring up the browser in a fraction of a second thanks to the powerful processor, though going and back and forth between the two isn't as slick as it is on the Palm Pre 2 using HP webOS and its Stacks feature. InternetWith 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi connectivity and 3G on-board, we were looking for the LG Optimus 2X to impress us with its speed here, and we weren't disappointed. The phone maintained a nice and fast connection to our Wi-Fi network, and we were particularly impressed with its speed over 3G. A strong ability to retain signal is converted into great mobile internet speeds. Of course, the browser itself is equally impressive. Pages appear in a flash, and panning and zooming has no problem keeping up with the speed of your fingers.
Double tapping to zoom can drop a few frames when it's also reflowing text, but it doesn't actually slow down, so you won't mind. Here again, the touchscreen's responsiveness can be a little lacking when it doesn't recognise your double-tap.
Pages render brilliantly, and you miss nothing as a result of being on a mobile. The four-inch screen can fit a good amount of detail into its 800 x 480 resolution, and it's no problem to zoom in a little further and have the text reflow again if you need to.
You can add bookmarks, and there are tabs (or rather windows), though there's no fancy graphical view for these, as there is on the iPhone 4 and even the BlackBerry Bold 9780 now, which is a shame considering you'd have to say the phone could handle it.
There's also Google's voice search built in, of course, and it delivers accurate and responses. This is all on par with the competition, though. What we were really looking forward to was seeing how Flash performed with all this extra processing power behind. So far, we've been fairly unconvinced that Adobe's plug-in has made itself essential on mobile yet, with spotty performance on many phones, including Android devices and the HP webOS-powered Palm Pre 2. Clearly, it's just needed Tegra 2 behind it.
Video is almost always buttery smooth. Playing standard web-embedded size videos generally caused us no problems whatsoever. Well, that was true for a while. We didn't have a bad thing to say about Flash technically, until one video totally crippled the browser. It caused a bug in the Windows tab viewer that erased whatever site was top in the list, and then meant we couldn't load any web pages at all. Which certainly sounds like something Flash would do. However, restarting the phone fixed this problem, so it wasn't a massive pain. And we have to say that the playback was so very impressive at other times that we really can't knock it too much for what may have just been a dodgy player on the website's end. The only real problem with Flash is that the controls are rarely designed for fingers. Most volume controls in particular tend to be too small and fiddly to use in any meaningful way. Sadly, the phone's built-in volume control doesn't really go as loud as we'd like, so this can be a bit of a pain. Similarly, many videos will pause if you click (tap) on them, so if you're trying to press a tiny 'fullscreen' button, you can end up doing a bit of a stop-start dance. Hopefully, finger-friendly controls will appear on players, and things will really shine. When a Flash element is running in a page, general browsing is noticeably impeded, but it only manifests as a bit of lag rather than a total crippling, while the video will start to drop frames if you're dragging the screen around, but will quickly smoothen out once you stop. Mightily impressive, overall. Camera
The camera on the LG Optimus 2X looks like it should be one of the phone's strong points judging by the specs. An eight-megapixel sensor sits inside, with a single LED flash to help it. 1080p video recording is included, presumably to make the most of that micro-HDMI port (and the processing power of the Tegra 2 chip). At that highest resolution, it's stated to record at 24 frames per second, while lowering to 720p ups that to 30fps. 720 x 480 widescreen standard-definition recording is also available, as is 640 x 480 VGA and lower. The stills camera has a load of options for when you're snapping, including quick access to the digital zoom, exposure adjustment and flash settings.
Delve into the full settings and you get access to image size and quality options, focus modes (including Macro and Face Tracking), scene modes (including Landscape, Portrait and Night), ISO settings (up to 800), white balance, colour effects, self timer, shooting modes (including Panorama shot, Smile shot and Continuous), image stabilisation, geolocating and a few more options besides. With the standard autofocus on, there's no tapping to choose the focus point, as on the iPhone 4, but get your subject in the centre of the viewfinder and hit the button to take a photo and it'll generally focus very quickly. With all this power behind it then, shouldn't it take great pictures? Ah, if only.
Click here for full-res version OUTDOORS: Washed out, blurry and lacking any detail and texture
Click here for full-res version INDOORS: This also looks washed out, with not enough detail across the picture as a whole
Click here for full-res version PORTRAIT: We used Portrait to ensure that the flowers were the focus of the shot. Once again, colours are dull, and the shot lacks detail and texture
Click here for full-res version MACRO: Macro images are usually pin-sharp, but even this is dull, with no sense of realism
Click here for full-res version FLASH: The illumination in an already-lit room isn't bad, but there's no depth to this image, or sense of detail in the oven's metalwork
Click here for full-res version PITCH BLACK: In a totally dark room, the flash provides an almost overly bright amount of light in the centre. It spreads well, producing little in the way of shadow VideoThe LG Optimus 2X's video options include a lot of the adjustments available to the stills camera, including exposure, white balance and colour effects, including monochrom and sepia. The maximum video size is 1080p… ish. It's actually 1920 x 1088, but what's eight pixels between friends? 720p is also available, which should save you a bit of space if that's a concern. Like the stills camera, you might think that with all this power, you could expect some good results. Like the stills camera, you'd be wrong.
Soft is the simplest word to describe this scene. Isn't the point of Full HD recording to add detail to a scene? Here, all you've got is digital artefacts removing any sense of texture or depth, while the whole thing is washed out, with overblown whites. Movement is generally quite smooth, with flying birds appearing crisply in each frame, with little motion blur (there are, however, huge amounts of artefacting around their flight path, blurring further anything they go near – especially grass). "Hang on," you might say if you know your video. "Why is the motion so smooth if the specs say it can only manage 24fps?" The short answer is that this video is 30fps. Why? We don't know. Our software definitely thinks it's 30, so we manually counted the number of frames in each second. It's definitely 30.
Except here, where it isn't. This video is 24fps, but the motion is off. Everything is flickery and, tellingly, too fast. It looks an awful lot like a 30fps video sped up to 24fps. We don't know what the video software in the Optimus 2X is playing at, but it looks like the sensor is designed to record at 30fps while the software reduces it to 24fps (perhaps to reduce overhead on the processor). The thing is, it seems to have forgotten to do the reduction to 24fps in the first video, while it hasn't done it properly here. In any case, the video is poor quality again. Swans have complex, textured bodies, but that's not evidenced here. The grass is also a vague, artefacted mess, while it's been unable to cope with exposing the white swan against duller ground. We though we'd compare the 1080p mode to the 720p recording mode, in the hope that might fare slightly better. The first video is 1080p, the second is 720p.
Alas, no. The 720p video is just as washed out and soft as the Full HD version. It's just smaller. Here, the 1080p video is 30fps again. MediaWith the advanced processing chops of Nvidia's Tegra 2 chip, LG is really pushing high-quality video as a feature of the Optimus 2X. Aside from the 1080p video recording, we're also promised Full HD playback. Adding to that is the ability to mirror the Optimus 2X's screen through its HDMI port, so video can be output to your HDTV.
In fact, it's not just video that goes over to the big screen – everything does, meaning that you can also play games on your big flat panel provided you're happy to sit within reach of the cable. Mirroring to a TV generally didn't affect the performance of the phone, with transitions between Home screens and scrolling in lists both appearing smooth on the TV and phone's screen. Apps seemed to take slightly longer to load than without the mirroring, but we're only talking a second or so. Since full mirroring is the order of the day, we were able to watch videos using the built-in YouTube app, through the DLNA streaming app or videos just stored on the device. The new iPlayer app crashed everytime we tried to use that on mirroring, so it's possible that could work too, after a little optimisation. However, we did have some problems with video playback of HD videos we'd loaded onto the device. We loaded two 1080p videos and one 720p, all in H.264 at high quality. The phone wouldn't play either of the 1080p files, while the 720p clip was jerky. The 720p file's issue made us think the problem was the bitrate of them all, so we reloaded the same files, but with the bitrate (amount of data streaming) halved. The 720p file now played smoothly, albeit with a significant amount of digital artefacting introduced and overall quality lowered. However, the 1080p files still wouldn't play. There were some videos already loaded onto our review unit that played fine in 1080p with near-identical encoding and high bitrates, so the inconsistency was pretty frustrating. While the four-inch, 800 x 480 screen is generally nice for videos, it's not a patch on the Samsung Galaxy S or iPhone 4. The main reason for this is the issue with viewing angles. Go just a bit off-centre and you start getting strong colour casts and losing detail. The screen's quality is only really on a par with the HTC 7 Trophy, but that's a mid-range handset, not a high-end flagship device, so we think LG has really missed a trick here. However, there are certainly worse screens out there, and and video is easy to watch and sharp when you're in the right viewing spot. MusicThe built-in music player is a generally smart little app, though this isn't a great device for audio fans in the end. You can browse your music by songs, albums, artists or playlists (which can be created on the phone, handily). Strangely, our handset didn't recognise the name of the bands in the music that we put on, which is a bit odd. We've never had the problem with any other phone, and all the other tags were fine, so we hope it's just a pre-release foible.
You get alphabetical lists when you have the Optimus 2X in portrait, which respond smoothly and have an alphabet on the right-hand side so you can jump down the list quickly.
Turn to landscape and you get a Cover Flow-style way to scroll through your albums that's extremely well thought out. The scrolling pane of album covers actually has letters to show you quickly where you are, and there's a scroll bar at the bottom to skip through to a point in the list. Tap an album cover and it grows, with an 3D overlay to tell you what it is and who it's by.
This screen is very slick, and we'd say it actually beats the iPhone's version in terms of UI. Unfortunately, there's a problem that stops us recommending the Optimus 2X as a music player. It has a tendency to distort and crush dense music when it gets to any significant volume. Songs with lots of instruments (especially crashing cymbals and the like) will lose almost all detail when they really get going. The same songs through the same earphones on other phones just don't have the same problem. Turning the volume down on the Optimus 2X seemed to help a little, but as soon as you got near traffic, you'd need to turn it up again. The gallery app for viewing photos and videos (there's also a separate video player) has a slick interface with some subtle 3D effects, though they're really for show than being of any real use. Images and videos appear in piles, much like on the iPad, but if you turn the phone left and right you can see that these are in 3D.
Of course, since the screen has poor viewing angles, this makes it hard to see anything, so it's sort of pointless. But hey, don't say we don't appreciate novelty. More useful is ability to pinch to preview the photos in a pile, also like the iPad. However, it works slightly differently to Apple's tablet. When you pinch out, you effectively create two piles that follow each of your fingers, and photos move from one to the other in a steady stream, so you can see them all in order.
It also doesn't open the folder (or pile, or whatever you want to call it) when you pinch out fully, so if you found what you wanted, you'd have to stop pinching, and then tap the pile and find it again. The larger photos (such as the phone's own eight-megapixel snaps) can take a few seconds to go from fuzzy placeholder to full-quality once selected. It's a bit slower than we were expecting from this dual-core marvel, but no worse than a lot of other phones. AppsPredictably, the LG Optimus 2X comes packed with apps already on the device. There's a range of them, including anti-malware scanners, Google's apps and the social networking apps. Facebook for LG really feels like its been optimised for the phone. Tapping any options will bring in a new screen in a fraction of a second, with a perfectly smooth animation. The only limit is your internet connection – rest assured the phone will be well ahead of you.
When you open the app, it will show your News Feed. It's not immediately obvious how to get to some of the other options from here. In fact, you need to hit the Back button, which will bring up a menu offering you the choice of News Feed, My Profile, Friends List, Inbox, Photos and Favorites. It's a bit counter-intuitive to hit Back to get here, but it's fine once you get used to it. From the News Feed screen, you can also get to your profile, your messages, friend requests and there's a button to instantly upload a photo. Most importantly, there's a text box for instantly updating your status. The Twitter for LG app has an almost identical layout. You start off in your Twitter feed, and can hit Back for more menu options. There's a text box at the top for new updates, and a button in the same place for posting pictures.
We said earlier there a widget for these two functions, which works well enough but there's one big omission: dual posting. Of course, there are apps that can solve this, but it seems like it should have been an obvious addition to LG's offering.
Speaking of the Android Market, we've got the new version with the carousel at the top to keep us amused. Navigating the Market is fast and slick, making it easier to get to grips with sifting through everything that's on offer.
Discoverability is a known issue on both the Android Market and Apple's App Store, so LG has included App Advisor, which will show you 10 hot apps of the moment. It being February when we wrote this, they were all romance-themed.
It's the kind of thing that could make itself useful every so often unearthing a gem, but we doubt you'll be referring to it all the time. Most apps we downloaded seemed to be able to take advantage of the Optimus 2X's powerful processor. The official Twitter app was just as fast as LG's, while Angry Birds was as smooth as we've ever seen it. Neither of these is the biggest test of the Tegra 2's chops, but that's the point – older, non-optimised software needs to run well on these new dual-core phones, not just the new Unreal Engine-powered games. We went on to try the more demanding stylised top-down 3D shooter Gun Bros, which also ran like a dream.
As far as organiser apps, you've got the Calendar application, which ties into your Google calendar if you enable your Google account with the phone. This has an accompanying widget for one of the Home screens. There's also Memo, Alarm/Clock and Calculator, which all serve obvious uses. The Car Home app is also available, which offers a larger, more obvious UI for when you're driving (though we'd say it's still a little subtle, with too much transparency). Google Maps is included, though it's one of the apps that seems to struggle most with the new processor. Of course, that's a relative term – it's still extremely fast, and tracks your fingers well when panning and zooming most of the time. But it does slow down a bit here and there and drop more frames than other apps. Google Navigation is also here, as is usual. It looks good on the four-inch screen, but the phone's speakers don't stand out very well over traffic noise, so it may be more useful for those with a Bluetooth-enabled stereo in their car. Battery life and connectivityWe weren't really sure what to expect from the Optimus 2X in terms of battery life. You might think that a more powerful processor would mean more power consumption, but Nvidia suggests that a dual-core chip should actually be lighter on the battery.
In practice, the Optimus 2X turns out to be pretty average for a modern smartphone. The large LCD screen is always going to be a big power draw, for example, and the Tegra chip isn't going to change that. We also had Flash on during almost all of our browsing sessions while we were testings, and were playing videos frequently. With this kind of use, you can guarantee that you'll need to charge the Optimus 2X every night (if you even make it to the end of the night if you're 3G-ing too). However, we think you could get a couple of days out of it with Flash switched off, and by leaving Facebook alone for a bit.
Incidentally, it looks to us as though the Optimus 2X is using proportionally more of its battery when playing back Flash video than the iPhone does when playing back embedded H.264. We didn't conduct any scientific tests because the software is still pre-release, but watching shows of a similar length on iPlayer on both devices caused a larger dent in the Optimus 2X's battery indicator. The release version could have better battery life with better optimised software, but we doubt it would be a major difference. Connectivity The LG Optimus 2X is no slouch when it comes to connections. In terms of cabling, there's micro-USB for connecting to your PC and that mini-HDMI port. The 8GB of built-in storage can be expanded by up to 32GB with the addition of a microSD card. Wirelessly, you've got Wi-Fi covering b, g and n protocols, so you can make the most of a fast connection. HSDPA 3G connectivity means super-fast mobile broadband if you've a good signal.
Bluetooth is here, but only in its 2.1 form. No speedy 3.0 version, which is a bit of a shame. However, A2DP music streaming is enabled. There's the obilgatory A-GPS chip for location tracking, and there's even an FM radio, in case you get bored of all the modern technology. ComparisonWell, it's hard to put the LG Optimus 2X in the same bracket as anything currently on the market when it comes to the internals. The Samsung Galaxy S2 and Motorola Atrix will catch up with it, but it's unique so far.
However, from a design and software point of view, the Optimus 2X isn't a million miles from lots of phones on the market. LG's own Optimus One actually isn't the closest around, because the square shape and touch-sensitive buttons of the Optimus 2X bring to mind the HTC Desire HD more than anything.
Android fans looking for sharp performance would do well to check out the Google Nexus S and the improvements Android 2.3 brings. Its brother, the Samsung Galaxy S, would also be worth checking out, if you can't wait for the next version to arrive. If it's sheer slickness and speed in the operating system you're after, the iPhone 4 has to be a contender, as do Windows Phone 7 devices, such as the HTC HD7 and the Samsung Omnia 7, which sports a stunning AMOLED screen. LG also has a WP7 device in the shape of the Optimus 7 if it's the brand you're after.
Hands-on gallery
Official gallery
Early verdictIf the LG Optimus 2X was supposed to blow us away with its dual-core processing prowess, it hasn't really succeeded, but maybe that was inevitable. Android runs so smoothly on phones such as the HTC Desire and Desire HD on a single-core processor that more power was never going to make that much of a difference. Where it should be useful is the video recording and playback, and while the HDMI mirroring does make use of Nvidia's Tegra 2 chip, the HD video recording is really let down by a below-average camera sensor. There is a clear use for dual-core processors and powerful system-on-a-chip silicon in phones, particularly with games such as Infinity Blade on the iPhone and Dungeon Defenders on Android capable of taking advantage of fancy graphical features. But this more future-proofing than it is bringing a revolution to us now. We liked The phone is certainly snappy – you'll get no argument from us about that. Slowdown was almost non-existant and that the Optimus 2X can keep it that smooth while mirroring to an HDTV is also impressive. Some of the pre-loaded apps are quite useful, while the LG social networking apps are nice in the way they share a design, making it intuitive to go from one to the other. It's not light, but the phone is reasonably thin, and sits comfortable in the pocket, despite its four-inch screen. It's good that those who want the processing power won't be struggling with a hulking great smartphone. We disliked The music player's quality disappointed us, despite its nice UI, while the 1080p video recording proved to be a total damp squib. In fact, the camera's performance in general was pretty disapponting, when it really should have been a feature to make the Optimus 2X stand out even more. The screen is also a big let-down. LG really should have been looking to make a flagship product here, one to take charge of the constant stream of Android devices, but when the touchscreen is slightly unresponsive and the viewing angles are poor, the phone inevitable make a dodgy first impression. Similarly, the fact that the speakers are of such average quality, making it a pain to make phone calls in a busy area, is a big negative. Verdict Though its geek cred as the first Tegra 2 phone is undeniable, the Optimus 2X doesn't make all that strong a case for itself. Despite its power, its only actually as slick as an HTC Desire, because you can't ask an OS's interface to run any faster than at full speed. It's more expensive than phones that have come before without bettering them significantly, and it's specs look likely to be eclipsed by what's on the horizon, such as the Samsung Galaxy S2 and its Super AMOLED+ screen. It's a milestone, but not one that we'll remember. However, it's crucial to remember this is not final release software, and would be harsh to judge the phone properly before we get our hands on that. It's highly feasible most, if not all, of the issues raised here will be fixed in a few new software builds, so keep checking back for our straightforward and definitive LG Optimus 2X review. Related Links
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| iPad 2 rumour: ixnay on the SD slot and hi-res display Posted: 25 Feb 2011 04:31 AM PST  It's getting to the point where we're hearing rumours about iPad 2 rumours, with the latest source-related revelation putting the kibosh on a couple of earlier speculations. Engadget's sources, who have been "dead right on specific Apple plans and specifications" in the past, have said that the previously reported SD card slot has been canned. Another absentee will be a higher resolution display, with Apple putting that on hold for a later iteration – rumours have circulated that the company was planning to double the screen resolution to 2048x1536, but lately several sources have claimed a delay. Tried to cram too much in It seems that both were supposed to make it into the second iteration of the slate, but "engineering issues" are to blame for the omissions. We're still expecting to see a slimmer chassis with at least one, if not two, cameras on the new iPad though, and it seems that more RAM and a more powerful CPU are also still en route. Whatever the deal, we'll know for sure on Wednesday 2 March. Until then, we'll keep bringing you the latest rumours about the rumours about the rumours about the iPad 2. 
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| Explained: Thunderbolt vs USB 3.0 vs eSATA Posted: 25 Feb 2011 04:01 AM PST  It's not very often that connection technologies make the news, but the arrival of Thunderbolt in Apple's new MacBook Pros has everyone asking crucial questions such as "what is it?", "how fast is it?" and "isn't that a terrible name for a kind of connection?" So how does it compare with the other key interface standards, eSATA and USB 3.0? Thunderbolt vs USB 3.0 vs eSATA: Speed All three technologies are blazingly fast compared to USB 2.0, which tops out at 480Mbps. eSATA delivers 3Gbps, with older eSATA 1.5 devices offering 1.5Mbps; USB 3.0, also known as Superspeed USB, goes up to 5Gbps; and Thunderbolt is a very respectable 10Gbps. As Intel puts it, that's enough to "transfer a full-length HD movie in less than 30 seconds". Each Thunderbolt port is bi-directional and dual-channel, and devices can be daisy chained from a single connection. Potentially that means one device could be chugging data upstream at 10Gbps while another one sucks down data on the other channel at 10Gbps, although of course life is rarely that simple. It's important to note here that these speeds are theoretical maximums, and there are all kinds of factors that will affect the speeds you actually get from connected devices. Thunderbolt vs USB 3.0 vs eSATA: Compatibility Thunderbolt combines two protocols, PCI Express (PCIe) and DisplayPort, which means you can connect monitors, external drives, video capture devices and so on. The DisplayPort element is backwards compatible, but you'll need a cable adaptor to connect an existing DisplayPort monitor. USB 3.0 is backwards compatible, so you can connect USB 2.0 devices to a USB 3.0 hub and vice-versa, although of course you won't get USB 3.0 speeds. eSATA is an external version of Serial ATA, the standard used for high-speed internal hard disk connections. As a result it's used for hard disks, hard disks and hard disks. Some firms, such as Toshiba, make laptops with dual-mode ports that can connect either eSATA or USB 2.0 devices.
RARE SIGHT: Some firms such as Toshiba offer combined eSATA/USB 2.0 ports, but eSATA is still a relatively rare sight Thunderbolt vs USB 3.0 vs eSATA: Availability Right now, only one firm makes Thunderbolt-enabled computers - Apple - and Thunderbolt-enabled peripherals such as hard disks are just starting to be announced. USB 3.0 devices - largely, but not exclusively, hard disks - are already available, and there are plenty of eSATA hard disks out there too. Thunderbolt is largely an Intel technology and Intel clearly favours it over USB 3.0, so we'd expect Thunderbolt's profile to change quickly as Intel chucks its considerable weight behind the technology. LaCie and Western Digital are already on board, and as Thunderbolt is fairly simple to engineer - if firms are already making PCIe or DisplayPort devices, it's relatively easy to make them into Thunderbolt devices - we'd expect to see lots of firms follow suit. Is that bad news for USB 3.0? Not necessarily. The ubiquity of USB 2.0 means there are lots of USB devices out there, and USB 3.0 is turning up in everything from laptops to tablets. There are already stacks of USB 3.0 devices on sale, and the presence of LaCie and Western Digital in the USB 3.0 market as well as the Thunderbolt one suggests we're looking at USB and FireWire all over again, with consumer devices going for USB and pro kit using the faster, less common standard. And eSATA? Its advantages over USB 2.0 are obvious, but even if it matched internal SATA's move to 6Gbps speeds it'd still be significantly slower than Thunderbolt and only slightly speedier than USB 3.0. It's starting to look like a technology whose time is almost up. 
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| Posted: 25 Feb 2011 03:48 AM PST  The BenQ XL2410 is the latest in a line of monitors to boast 120Hz refresh rates in a bid to cash in on the 3D boom. The market is now packed with 3D ready panels, and BenQ will be hoping that its 24-inch XL2410 can take the crown of the best 3D monitor, but it's got a tough road ahead of it. It will find stiff competition from the likes of Asus' excellent VG236, Acer's equally good GD245HQ and the Samsung's SM2233RZ, all of which work with Nvidia's 3D Vision kit. In terms of price the BenQ XL2410 falls in line with rest of that burgeoning 120Hz niche, but at £300 the BenQ isn't the cheap option by any means. The Samsung SM2233RZ can be snapped up for around £200, but unlike many of its competitors, the BenQ XL2410 is more than just a standard panel capable of high refresh rates. The XL2410 shows that there's more to life than just Nvidia 3D Vision though by packing in a superb 16:9 LED panel, which makes it a strong proposition for designers, movie watchers and gamers alike. It comes with a full rotating panel which means you can work in portrait, as well as landscape, which is great if you spend time reading long articles on web pages, and an option we'd like to see more of. Though the BenQ XL2410 doesn't have the tech-nous to switch the screen orientation automatically. Verdict
The first thing that strikes you about the 24" BenQ XL2410 is its vibrant LED panel. It's fully backlit, so there's no worries about dark spots or uneven colours. What's more, the 16:9 aspect ratio makes it perfect for gaming and movie watching, as well as viewing multiple web pages and programs side by side. The strong panel is complimented by the 120Hz capabilities, which makes games and movies look stunning in 2D mode, and in terms of 3D graphics, the BenQ XL2410 is as good as any monitor we've seen. All the drivers to get you set up are included on the supplied disc, which makes setting up much easier. All you need is a pair of Nvidia's 3D Vision specs and you're good to go. The spec sheet makes impressive reading too, with a 10,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio and 2ms response time. Even switching between screens in Windows 7 is swift and snappy, and proves that 120Hz response times shouldn't just be reserved for those who want to melt their cerebral cortex playing 3D games. Despite looking great though our tests showed slight inferiority in the level of blacks and white saturation compared to the best monitors on the market, which will be an issue for movie purists. However, gradients and grey scales were displayed smoothly, and the lightning-fast 2ms response times were immediately apparent. The level of adjustability is to be applauded on the BenQ XL2410, and it's easy to adjust the height and angle of the monitor, something which is often sorely lacking in other screens. There are also modes to change the size of the picture on your monitor, should the mood take you, and display dual video inputs from the HDMI, DVI or D-SUB inputs. We liked: The picture is superb and games look fantastic in 120Hz, thanks in no small part to the superb response times and vibrant colours. The size and shape of the monitor are perfectly suited to gaming and movie watching making this a fantastic proposition. We disliked: There are cheaper 3D monitors on the market, and you can get an equally stunning 2D monitors for a fraction of the £300 price tag. What the BenQ X2410 offers is a marriage of the two, but it will hit your wallet where it hurts. Final word: A superb LED monitor which does more than 3D gaming, but it will cost you for the privilege. Related Links
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| UK to get YouTube film streaming service? Posted: 25 Feb 2011 03:46 AM PST  Google is reportedly planning to launch a subscription based film streaming service on YouTube, according to the New York Post. The New York paper cited executives who have been briefed regarding the movie streaming plan as its sources, saying that the plan is to offer unlimited streaming for a subscription fee. Having been "talking with Hollywood studios for months", Google is said to have $100 million put aside for deals with studios and other content providers, suggesting it's a pretty serious pursuit. All for advertising The search specialists have been looking to expand YouTube as an advertising platform by investing in longer content that will keep users on the site for lengthier periods of time; so far, these experiments have included streaming live sports and music concerts. But now its sights are set on film - presumably, Google's dream scenario sees thousands of viewers hooked on the six-day-long experimental opus, Cinématon. The movie service would be similar to streaming options already available on LoveFilm in the UK, and via Netflix in the States, while the UK has been mentioned as a particular focus for the streaming service's launch. Hollywood studios could be looking to YouTube to help stamp out piracy with the new, above-board scheme, particularly since Google itself has been threatened with disconnection by the MPAA for its staffs' illegal movie downloads. 
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| In Depth: Top 10 new camera rumours for 2011 Posted: 25 Feb 2011 03:41 AM PST  Let's take a closer look at some of the more interesting (and realistic) new camera rumours making the rounds. What does 2011 hold in the way of new camera releases? These are our predictions... Canon EOS 6D / Canon EOS 5D Mark III release date rumours Could a Canon EOS 5D Mark III release date be just around the corner? We think so. Launched in 2008, the Canon 5D Mark II is due a refresh. Essentially just the innards of an Canon 5D inside a slightly spruced-up body shell, plus a 21-million-pixel sensor and a very cool (for 2008) video shooting function, the 5D MKII always looked like something of a compromise. At this point in time, the 5D MK II lacks both the speed and enhanced functionality of the newer APS-C format EOS 7D, and the rugged construction and almost infinite customisation of Canon's professional EOS 1D series. Expect an updated body shell, greatly improved AF (probably borrowed from the Canon 7D) and a tweaked video shooting capability. We'd also stick our necks out and suggest that whatever replaces the Canon EOS 5D MK2 will have the Canon 60D's (read our Canon 60D review) articulated LCD screen - but possibly with the addition of touch-sensitivity. If this turns out to be true, it would be the first full-frame camera to feature this technology. 2011 Canon EOS 6D / Canon EOS 5D Mark III release date probability: 75% - in fact, we expect a Canon 5D Mark III release date by early 2011. UPDATE - January 2011: PhotoRadar's head of testing, Angela Nicholson, compiles her list of features she'd like to see on a Canon 6D release. Canon EOS 1100D release date rumours You heard it here first: there is no stronger 'sure thing' than a 2011 Canon 1100D release date. The successor to the Canon 1100D, the Canon 1000D, is the Granddad of low-end DSLRs. First introduced in 2008, the Canon EOS 1000D has held its own for an impressively long time, but since the arrival of higher-resolution, video-enabled competitors like the Nikon D3100, it has started to look decidedly decrepit. As an entry-level model, the Canon 1000D is the cheapest camera in Canon's DSLR lineup, and despite a respectable feature set, its build quality leaves a lot to be desired. These days, 'entry level' doesn't have to mean 'cheap and nasty' and we expect the Canon 1100D to offer significantly improved, possibly EOS 7D-inspired handling, plus a higher resolution sensor (possibly the same 18MP used in the Canon 550D) and - naturally - this year's 'must have': HD video. 2011 Canon EOS 1100D release date probability: dead cert. We could possibly see a Canon 1100D release date as soon as early 2011. UPDATE - February 2011: It's official! A Canon 1100D release date has been announced, as well as a Canon 600D release date - the latter of which none of us was expecting. Canon EOS 1Ds Mark IV release date rumours 2011 Canon EOS 1Ds Mark IV release date probability: 90%. But we probably won't see a Canon 1Ds Mark 4 release date until spring 2011. UPDATE - January 2011: someone told us they couldn't find a Canon EOS 1Ds Mark III anywhere. So we searched ourselves, and sure enough they were right. Most camera shops in the US and UK are out of stock in the Canon 1Ds Mark III. But perhaps the strongest signal that Canon 1Ds Mark IV release date is coming soon is that those retailers that do still have the 1Ds Mark III are selling it at heavy discounts. Watch this space. Nikon D800 release date rumours A replacement to the popular 12MP Nikon D700 is overdue, and we've already begun to hear rumours of a Nikon D800 release date. Although the full-frame Nikon D700 remains the camera of choice for Nikon's legion of prosumer photographers, since its launch in 2008 it has been progressively overshadowed by its competitors. Cameras like the Canon EOS 5D Mark II and Sony's Alpha A850 offer higher resolution sensors and (in the case of the Canon 5D II) significantly more advanced feature sets. Expect Nikon to respond to the threat of the as-yet-unreleased Canon 5D II successor, which means higher resolution, enhanced live view and - of course - the addition of a versatile movie mode. Our money is on the Nikon D800 having a 24MP sensor, adapted from the CMOS sensor of the professional Nikon D3X, and 1080p video. 2011 Nikon D800 release date probability: 75% - either just before or soon after Canon releases its 5D II successor. What's more, last month we reported on a new Amazon guide book listing that suggests a Nikon D800 release date for Feb or March 2011, and a major French bookseller speculates that the Nikon D800 price will fall between 2000 and 2500 euros. UPDATE - January 2011: Amazon has delayed publication of the two NikonD800 manuals referenced above - one until May 2011, and the other until Sepember. Also, our head of testing, Angela Nicholson, lists the features she'd like to see on a NikonD800 release. Sony A800 / A77 release date rumours Sony Alpha users have been eagerly awaiting a replacement for the Sony A700 for at least a year. Announced in 2007, the A700 was - and still is - Sony's most convincing prosumer APS-C DSLR, and the closest thing to the fondly remembered Konica-Minolta semi-pro film SLRs of yesteryear. Three years on and the Sony faithful are feeling neglected. Three years, and two full-frame DSLRs (the Sony A900 and its near-clone, the Sony A850) plus a flurry of somewhat uninspiring entry-level and midrange Alpha-series models later, and the A700 is looking decidedly isolated. So will they or won't they? Our guess is that Sony will replace it, but whether the Sony A800 / A77 features a semi-translucent mirror (like the A33 and A55) remains to be seen. Our money is on the Sony Alpha 800 / Alpha 77 specs including 18MP, HD video and SLT-A55-inspired ergonomics. But don't hold your breath. 2011 Sony A77 / A800 release date probability: 90% - but Sony might still surprise us. UPDATE - January 2011: Sony reveals a prototype of an Alpha 700 replacement at CES 2011 and suggests a Sony Alpha 800 release date will come this year. Early reports also suggest the Sony A800 release will feature the translucent mirror technology introduced in its A33 and A55 cameras last year, as well as a 25MP sensor. UPDATE - February 2011: we have a (sort of) official Sony A800 / A77 release date. Sony has announced that its A700 replacement will be released in mid-2011 and will feature translucent mirror technology, Full HD video capability and a few other interesting specs, which have been revealed. Sony A950 release date rumours This is a tough one. When Sony introduced the 24-million-pixel, full-frame A900 in 2008, it took everyone by surprise. At the time, the Sony Alpha 900 offered the highest resolution on the market, but for significantly less cash than the next-nearest competitor - the Canon EOS 1DS Mark III. At a third of the price of the Canon, there were some compromises - a significantly less advanced AF system and no live view mode being the most obvious. All things considered, though, the A900 was a hell of a bargain for the resolution-hungry snapper. However, apart from its pixel count, the Sony A900's specification looked fairly dated from the day of its release, and if Sony wants to stay competitive in the full-frame DSLR market, it will have to replace - or at least update - its long-serving flagship. The question is whether or not Sony considers full-frame to be a market worth competing in. If it does, we expect the Sony Alpha 950 specs to feature a 30MP+ sensor, better AF, improved high ISO performance, decent live view and a similar video mode to the more recent SLT-A55. 2011 Sony A950 release date probability: 50%. Whether a Sony A950 release ever happens depends on whether Sony finally makes its mind up whether or not to target the pro studio/landscape photographer market. Keep everything crossed. Canon PowerShot G13 release date rumours We're not expecting a Canon G13 release date in the immediate future, but if history is any guide, the next update to Canon's PowerShot G-series shouldn't be far off. The Powershot G11 and recently released Canon G12 (read our Canon G12 review) broke the mould a little by offering a relatively low resolution of 10 megapixels, compared to the 14MP of the Powershot G10 - released in 2008. The decision to move backwards in resolution was taken (according to Canon) for the sake of image quality. Fewer, larger pixels give better pictures, especially in low light. With the Canon PowerShot G13 release, we'd be surprised if Canon stuck with a 10MP sensor. We suspect the Canon G13 specs will include a 12MP+ sensor and possibly an improved video mode at the very least. Something that we'd love to see changed in a Canon G13 is the Canon G12's most pointless optical viewfinder. It is small, blurry and inaccurate. We'd like a decent electronic viewfinder - preferably built-in, or as an optional accessory. Having the finder as an optional extra would also allow the camera itself to be smaller. Right now the G12 stretches the definition of 'compact' - hopefully the Canon PowerShot G13 will see Canon's G-series move closer in size to the excellent (and pocketable) PowerShot S95. 2011 Canon G13 release date probability: 5% chance within the next 6-9 months of a Canon G13 release, but this time next year? Almost 100%. Nikon Coolpix P8000 release date rumours The Nikon P7000 has been on the market for less than six months so we're not expecting it to be replaced in 2010, but already, we're anxious to see what will come next. Externally, the Nikon P7000 is a near-clone of the Canon G12 (it even shares the same sensor) but that's where the similarity ends. Image quality is excellent, but Nikon's flagship compact is let down by its poor operational speed and rather feeble continuous shooting performance. If Nikon wants to be taken seriously in the tough high-end compact market it's going to have to do better than this with the Nikon P8000. Expect the Nikon P8000 specs to boast a higher resolution sensor, an articulated screen and a beefed-up processor. We'd love an electronic viewfinder too, rather than the useless and bulky optical finder of the P7000, but we'd settle for a camera that doesn't... take... ages... to... do... anything.... 2011 Nikon P8000 release date probability: 100%, if Nikon doesn't want to get laughed out of the playground. Panasonic LX6 release date rumours If the longevity of the Panasonic LX5's well-respected predecessors is anything to go by, we're not expecting a Panasonic LX6 release date in the next few months. However, like the Canon G12 and the Nikon P7000, the Panasonic LX5's resolution of 10 megapixels is starting to look a little dated. The other major limitation of the Panasonic LX5 is its relatively restricted zoom range, which covers a useful - but not spectacular - 24-90mm (equivalent). Panasonic won't change anything unless its designers are sure that image quality won't be compromised, but if and when a Panasonic LX6 replaces the LX5, we'd expect modest improvements in both areas. Perhaps the Panasonic LX6 specs will feature a 12MP sensor and a 24-105mm (equivalent) zoom range, and almost certainly touch-screen controls, like the Micro Four Thirds Panasonic GF2, G2 and GH2. 2011 Panasonic LX6 release date probability: 5% this year - but we'd put our money on a Panasonic LX6 release by early 2012 at the latest. Pentax full frame camera - Pentax K1 rumours? Believe it or not, Pentax was all geared up to release a full-frame professional DSLR way back in 2001 (Google it, Granddad), but it never saw the light of day. Since then, the Pentax faithful have been hoping against hope that maybe, someday, the Japanese camera giant will give full-frame another go. If you'd asked us a year ago we'd have said it will never happen, but following the launch of the excellent Pentax K5, we're cautiously optimistic that they just might. Could it be just a coincidence that Tokina, which is known to make Pentax lenses, is launching its first full-frame format lenses in a few years? The Pentax K-5 is a solid, well-specified camera with an impressive feature set, and Pentax's backwards lens compatibility is second to none. We'd love to see Pentax create a full-frame DSLR, possibly in collaboration with Samsung (although that relationship seems to have cooled) if only so the Pentax K-1 could give Canon and Nikon some genuine competition. For the moment, a Pentax K1 release date is strictly in 'wouldn't it be great if' territory but we'd love Pentax to go down the Nikon D700 route and offer relatively low resolution, perhaps 14MP, but in a genuinely compact bodyshell - something that Pentax has always been very good at. 2011 Pentax K1 release date probability: 12%. Honestly, we doubt it will happen. But next time you see a shooting star... 
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| Firefox 4 Beta 5 now available for Android Posted: 25 Feb 2011 03:38 AM PST  Mozilla has announced the arrival of Firefox 4 Beta 5 to Android. As it is still in Beta, the update isn't extensive but it does add some crucial changes, including stability to the browser. Other improvements include: increased responsiveness to panning and zooming, increased JavaScript performance and faster start up and page load times. Having previously added support for Maemo in the past, Android is now a key platform for Mozilla as Nokia has pretty much canned that side of its OS. Firefox mobile Mozilla has been fairly steady in its beta releases for its Android version of Firefox. The first version of the app arrived only in October, so it seems to be at least one update a month at the moment. The browser offers a lot of the functionality you can find in Mozilla's full-fat version, including an Awesome screen which "instantly gives you access to your recent history, bookmarks and tabs just by tapping in the Awesome Bar." There's no news as to when the browser will come to Android without a beta tag, but we will keep you posted. 
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| Android apps running on BlackBerry phones? Posted: 25 Feb 2011 03:02 AM PST  An app developer has noticed that someone has been running its Android app ShopSavvy on several BlackBerry handsets. That someone could well be RIM, as rumours that the company is looking to the Android App Store to bolster its PlayBook app offerings surfaced earlier this year. Analytics data showed that the Android shopping app was accessed on a BlackBerry 8300, 8600 and 8520 during January and February of this year. Appetising It could, feasibly, have been anyone trying to get Android apps working on BlackBerry hardware and not necessarily RIM itself. ShopSavvy delved a little further into the analytics data which apparently shows that these server requests came from Waterloo, Ontario in Canada. Coincidentally, that's where RIM is based. The three handsets are pretty aged BlackBerrys, which suggests that if it is RIM, the company could be hoping to get an Android Market tie-in up and running on all BlackBerry phones and not just the QNX-running BlackBerry PlayBook as was previously imagined. 
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| Android apps running on BlackBerry phones? Posted: 25 Feb 2011 03:02 AM PST An app developer has noticed that someone has been running its Android app ShopSavvy on several BlackBerry handsets. That someone could well be RIM, as rumours that the company is looking to the Android App Store to bolster its PlayBook app offerings surfaced earlier this year. Analytics data showed that the Android shopping app was accessed on a BlackBerry 8300, 8600 and 8520 during January and February of this year. Appetising It could, feasibly, have been anyone trying to get Android apps working on BlackBerry hardware and not necessarily RIM itself. ShopSavvy delved a little further into the analytics data which apparently shows that these server requests came from Waterloo, Ontario in Canada. Coincidentally, that's where RIM is based. The three handsets are pretty aged BlackBerrys, which suggests that if it is RIM, the company could be hoping to get an Android Market tie-in up and running on all BlackBerry phones and not just the QNX-running BlackBerry PlayBook as was previously imagined. 
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| Review: Dell Inspiron 15R (Core i3) Posted: 25 Feb 2011 03:00 AM PST  Dell has been on a good run of form recently, releasing a wealth of great laptops. The Inspiron 15R is such a machine and, although portability is poor, its strong performance, design and usability still make this a great choice. The Intel Core i3 430M processor is the most powerful in the Core i3 line-up, consequently, produces solid performance. This makes this laptop ideal for those after a machine which will run resource-intensive programs with ease and happily multi-task everyday programs without showing any signs of system lag. It's also worth mentioning that there is another Dell Insprion 15R equipped with a Core i5 processor for a bit more performance grunt. The dedicated ATi HD 5470 graphics card is identical to that used in the Acer Aspire 5741G-354G32Mnsk, but its 1024MB of video memory squeezes that little bit more performance from the card. As a result, the Dell is ideally suited to those with multimedia aspirations or those looking for strong all-round performance. Benchmarks Battery life: 166 minutes Stunning screen The 15.6-inch screen is fantastically bright, crisp and clear and you'll be impressed by how good your photos and movies look. The panel also boasts a good viewing angle and the screen is very readable, even when not looking at it from front on. However, the Super-TFT screen coating creates distracting reflections in bright light. The keyboard is good, but feels a little cramped compared to the Acer Aspire 5741G-354G32Mnsk and even the Lenovo ThinkPad Edge 11-inch. Nevertheless, we were more than happy typing on it for hours at a time. A dedicated numeric keypad is included for inputting data. Build quality is good and the faux brushed-aluminium interior looks great. Dell claims the palmrest to be smudge-resistant and we certainly found it hard to mark, meaning less cleaning is needed. Portability is a little dubious and the 166-minute battery life is unfortunately poor, largely thanks to the powerful components on board. Similarly, the 2.7kg weight is not the easiest to carry around. This means this laptop isn't ideally suited to a life on the road, and those looking for a portable partner would do well to consider the Lenovo ThinkPad Edge 11-inch. A healthy batch of features include an HDMI out port for connecting the laptop to an external monitor, and even an eSATA port for transferring data to and from compatible external hard drives at high speed.
The 250GB internal hard drive is disappointing, however, especially compared to the value offered by the Toshiba Satellite Pro C660-171 and MSI CX623-258UK. Those with a lot of content could quickly run out of space. Overall, however, we were very impressed by the Dell Inspiron 15R. The excellent power and great usability on offer make this a laptop that is very easy to recommend and it will especially suit those with families, thanks to its allround versatility. Related Links
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| Review: Compro VideoMate U680F Posted: 25 Feb 2011 02:38 AM PST  If TV on your laptop is your bag the bargainous Compro VideoMate U680F is the one for you. Let's face it, TV tuners have been on the market since God was a boy and we all still own a TV set. To make it worth our while, tuners need to offer us features that the idiot box doesn't. It's about pausing and rewinding live shows, recording to HDD, scheduling what and when to record automatically. On top of all that, it must be effortlessly easy to make use of all this extra functionality. No labyrinths of menus or cables. You, the jaded consumer, know this. And so apparently do Compro. It's relieving to see that tuner hardware is getting simpler and cheaper. The Compro VideoMate U680F is a TV tuner aiming for maximum functionality without any fuss, which boils down to all the above features with just a USB stick, antenna and remote. Hardware tuners need to compete with on demand web content like iPlayer, so manufacturers are mixing things up a bit. Verdict
With the Compro VideoMate U680F there's nothing to install internally - as with several other market contenders the idea here is plug in the USB stick to your desktop or laptop, connect the antenna and you're good to go. Your PCI-E slots can breathe, and the whole operation can be fully functional in ten minutes. The level of functionality you get will depend on the signal in your home - you will need an external antenna to pick up any reception. It's also worth mentioning that the mini antenna you plug into the USB stick is very sensitive to position, so to get the best reception, some Beano-esque hanging out of a window will most likely ensue. There's a very handy blue LED that glows, flashes or turns off depending on signal strength though, which turns the whole endeavour into quite a pleasant treasure hunt. It's not military grade hardware, but hey, it's 28 quids people! There are similar pieces of kit on the market for less, but Compro's trusty DTV software is what makes the Compro VideoMate U680F worth a few extra doubloons. It's simple as pie to rearrange channels, set up a recording schedule to automatically save every episode of Steve Backshall's Deadly 60 to your hard drive, or endlessly rewind horror tackles while you're watching the football. The U680F succeeds in nailing the level of simplicity and functionality needed to give actual TV a run for its money. For twenty eight pounds you're getting Sky Plus features on your PC with much less fussing about than tuners of 2 years ago demanded. We liked: The most likeable features here are the USB interface and DTV 4 software. USB tuners have been available for a couple of years now but have yet to render the PCIe cards obsolete, which is where they deserve to be; USB is the best option for systems of all sizes. The DTV software is bundled with every tuner in the VideoMate range, and its ease of use is still unsurpassed. We disliked: The media centre remote though, resembles a toy mobile phone and is much bigger than necessary, whereas the mini antenna feels like it could do with beefing up for improved reception. Final word: Simple and effective tuner solution for laptops and desktops alike. Related Links
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| Christopher Nolan 'converting Inception to 3D' Posted: 25 Feb 2011 02:33 AM PST  The director of Wrath Of The Titans, Jonathan Liebesman, has revealed that Christopher Nolan is currently converting Inception into 3D. Although this isn't confirmed by Warner Bros, the movie's studio, Liebesman was speaking to Moviefone about his own 2D-to-3D conversion of the Titans sequel and dropped the hint that Nolan was also in the midst of this process. 3D conversion "I didn't want to convert, but Warner Bros. showed me how far conversions have come," said Liebesman. "You've got Chris Nolan doing Inception, converting the DVD, you've got Harry Potter being converted, Star Wars being converted, so the conversion process has improved dramatically in the past two years." Nolan has never been entirely convinced about 3D, saying that the reason Inception wasn't shot in 3D, because the technology was "restrictive". This isn't to say that the director is totally against the idea of converting movies to 3D but we're sure this is more the studio's decision, rather than an artistic one. Liebesman should be worried about 3D conversion, too – Clash Of The Titans was roundly criticised for its pretty awful 3D transfer. 
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| Posted: 25 Feb 2011 02:30 AM PST  Acer produces a wide variety of laptops and netbooks and is known for its highly competitive mid-range machines. The Aspire 5741G-354G32Mnsk is a decent laptop with an attractive design and good usability, but performance and portability could be better. Acer has produced a very attractive laptop. Internally, the brushed-aluminium palmrest and chrome finishing sets it apart from the crowd, while the plastic lid with crosshatch finish looks great, especially when compared to the Toshiba Satellite Pro C660-171.
Usability is also impressive. Acer's keyboards are unique in that the keys stand off the chassis independently. Although this leaves a lot of space under each key for dust and dirt to gather, the very firm typing action is great for regular typists, with the large keys making misshits a rarity. Acer has also managed to squeeze in a sizeable dedicated numeric keypad on the right-hand side, which is great for those who regularly input data. The screen isn't as bright as the one found on the Dell Inspiron 15R, but is sharp enough for viewing your photos and films. The very shiny screen coating, designed to enhance colour vibrancy, produces reflections in bright light, and those that find this irritating may want to consider the HP 625 which boasts a matt finish on its screen. Although the Acer doesn't have the most powerful Intel Core i3 350M processor available, the inclusion of 6144MB of DDR3 memory means performance is satisfactory, if not exceptional. The everyday user will have no problem with word processing, running their web browser or even more powerful multimedia software, but for a little extra money the Dell Inspiron 15R offers quite a bit more performance. Graphical performance from the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5470 is solid, again just pipped by the Dell Inspiron 15R, and those looking to edit photos, videos – even in high-definition – and enjoy light gaming will find enough performance here. Benchmarks Battery life: 171 minutes Average storage The 320GB hard drive is a little average compared to many of the other laptops around this price, but provides ample data storage space nevertheless. Only those with significant amounts of data will fill it. Unfortunately the Acer's portability isn't fantastic. The 171-minute battery life falls just short of the 180-minute minimum we expect, while the 2.5kg weight is bettered by the Lenovo ThinkPad Edge 11-inch, although we had no problem carrying it around regularly. The Aspire 5741G-354G32Mnsk is a good laptop and one we enjoyed using over a few weeks. The attractive design will definitely be a selling point for some, while usability is also good. However, performance is a little average, as is portability, and the hard drive storage is also bettered by its rivals. Related Links
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